The Well of Strands (Osric's Wand, Book Three)

by Jack D. Albrecht Jr.

  It was this attention to detail, the same focus that had seen him safely through hundreds of tunnels in his life, that drew his attention to the eyes. There was joy in them when he talked about the ridiculous arguments. Orson even noticed a bit of a spring in Osric’s step as he took to the stairway leading upward in front of them. Though why Osric would get so much joy out of watching three master craftsmen arguing was beyond him.

  They crested the top of the staircase and one sharp left turn brought them to a door that opened onto a balcony above the center courtyard of the building. Even more people were practicing down in that small, hedged arena than he had seen on the grounds the night before, but the most impressive part was the massive selection of plants that formed a labyrinth throughout the remainder of the area. Orson triggered his Stone-Sight to examine the makings of the walls and took a step back in surprise.

  “There is no stone at all in the walls that make up your labyrinth. How do they hold in place with only soil and plants?”

  “A lot of that arguing that we discussed led them to come up with a compromise. We needed more room to practice for our troops, and James needed more food. He vied to have the whole court turned into a garden, but Machai wanted this area to teach the men how to fight in close quarters. I set Gus, Harsic, and Largrid to the problem, and they came up with this idea. The labyrinth allows our fighters to practice dual wielding in close, dark quarters, and it also provides James with an abundance of food.”

  “It is beautiful with the tubers taking up the center bulk of the wall. If I'm not mistaken, you have carrots, onions, and a large number of flowering vegetables growing on the tops of the labyrinth. I can see all manner of vegetation, but with that much space you must lose a great deal of your crops to a lack of ability to tend?”

  “Yes, that will be one area I think you can help improve. You can see through all of it with your Stone-Sight, yes?”

  “Of course. If I can see through stone, I don’t see any trouble finding my way around dirt,” Orson answered.

  “Then let us start by having you help James. When you see tubers that are ready to pick, he knows how to deactivate a small area of the elemental barriers that hold up the wall, and he can have some of the gardeners pull them out before we lose them. The gardeners are pretty good at tending to the vegetation that grows on the top and sides. They even managed to sprinkle in some flowers, which make it more appealing to look at from the balcony.”

  Orson hung his head, a bit disappointed with his new assignment, but before he could let the feeling settle in too much, Osric spoke again.

  “Hey, I know it’s not exciting, but it is a gift we have been in need of for some time. Plus, I need to see how you interact with these surroundings for a while before I bring you in on some more”—Osric looked Orson in the eye and arched his eyebrow—“interesting adventures.”

  Then Osric sighed audibly and rattled off the contents of the various regions of the building, beginning by pointing back the direction they had come from.

  “That is the kitchen on the first floor. Beyond that is where we walked through and had our chat about who can see magic. The floor above is where they teach strategy.” Osric motioned to his right. “Both top and bottom floors over here are where the bunks are located. Across the court, the top floor is entirely a library run by a most amusing gnome by the name of Eublin, and he has also claimed the bottom floor but it is as yet unused. I would love to see someone use it for the study of prophecy, though, so I am holding Eublin off until I am convinced that his fanciful books hold more merit. And over there, the bottom floor is dedicated to magical theory, and the top floor is where they do experiments with manipulating the elemental gifts.”

  Osric quickly leaned over the railing of the deck and shouted so that his voice would carry effectively over the long distance but not sound angry, “Pebble? Hey, Pebble. Don’t go anywhere. I need to talk to you!” Then Osric turned toward the door and walked at a brisk pace to the stairs. He turned his head as he spoke.

  “Have a look around for the day. James will put you to work tomorrow. But I’ll advise you to avoid the top floor on the other side. There is a reason I isolated elemental powers on a top floor!”

  Osric mimicked an explosion with his hands as the door swung shut, leaving Orson alone to look over the whole of their encampment. He found himself bewildered by the scope of what he saw, and everything that Osric had said was too much to comprehend on his first day. However, his sense of confusion was meager compared to another overwhelming emotion: he was completely in awe of it all.

  4 – Distant Decision

  Bridgett paced restlessly along the shore of Lost Lake. It had not been her first destination upon leaving Stanton, but she had come to realize that she needed the company of someone who might understand her desperate isolation. When she had first accepted that she must leave Osric in order to save him, she had traveled just outside of the city of Stanton. She felt utterly lost, leaving everything she had grown to love behind, and she had no idea where she would go. The Grove of the Unicorn had been destroyed. She hadn’t seen her parents since she was a child and wouldn’t even know where to look for them, and she still felt driven to help Osric in one form or another.

  On the outskirts of the city, she had encountered Aridis, the old man who Machai and Thamas had met near the Elven Ruins. He seemed to understand her distress without even hearing the tale and extended an open invitation to visit his home at Lost Lake. After nearly three months of fruitless travel seeking the unicorns, Bridgett had finally taken him up on his offer.

  She couldn’t have traveled there by spoken spell on her own, having never seen the location, but a dragon was kind enough to carry her to the shores of the lake. As they flew over the dense forest surrounding Braya Volcano, Bridgett wondered if the dragon was as lost as she felt. There was no break in the canopy large enough to contain the haven that Aridis had described. Yet, not far from the ruins the dragon suddenly dove toward the ground, rapidly approaching the treetops. Bridgett felt her stomach rise up into her throat as terror washed over her. They were certain to crash into the forest.

  She was astonished when a glimmering haze flashed across her vision and beneath them a clearing appeared where she had only been able to see trees. A large, glistening lake sprawled across the open space and the dragon delighted in her surprised gasp as he spread his wings wide and rapidly leveled out the descent just above the water.

  “I bet you never tire of that terrifying reveal.” Bridgett could not help but laugh joyfully as she chastised the dragon.

  “Honestly, my lovely woman, I have so little opportunity to perform such a stunt that I cannot imagine ever growing weary of it.” The dragon, a smaller-than-average grey beast named Ashir, landed gently upon the shore of the lake and positioned his tri-jointed wing to allow Bridgett to climb down to the ground. She dismounted gracefully and looked at her surroundings in search of a cottage or any other sign of Aridis’s residence. She was startled to see him emerge suddenly from the forest, the tree branches seeming to move in behind him to cover his trail.

  “Welcome to my home, Bridgett. I hope your journey was pleasant.”

  “Ashir was a joy. I hope you don’t mind me arriving unannounced.”

  “Ah, well, your arrival certainly wasn’t unannounced, and my invitation remains. I am glad you are here. Come. We can speak inside.” Aridis led her along the tree line to a small cave opening, and she followed him inside. The room was small and sparsely furnished, though quite cozy. A small table with three chairs hugged one wall, and a large fireplace warmed the space nicely. Bridgett barely noticed a worn door set into the back wall of the cave.

  They sat at the small table, fresh mugs of rulha emitting aromatic steam into the air, and Bridgett felt the tension of the past weeks finally beginning to subside. Still, she was too fatigued to check the tears that slid down her cheeks.

  “Do not cry, my dear.”

  “I’m sorry, Aridis. I do
not mean to burden you, nearly a stranger, with my sorrows.” She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. “It’s just that I can’t help imagining the pain I have caused him, and it only serves to exacerbate my own.”

  “Although he misses you terribly, Osric shall not perish of a broken heart.”

  “And I? Can you assure me that I will survive this anguish?”

  “I can at least attempt to reassure you, and perhaps distract your grieving heart, with discussion of other matters. First, tell me why you decided to seek my sanctuary.”

  She recounted her travels and her fruitless search for the unicorns. They spoke for hours, beginning with the prophecy she had received from a local see-er in Stanton:

  The High-Wizard’s heart will break or blight, casting success onto dark or light. When knowledge shared of knowledge gained is won, cast not the common eye upon the stone. First lay the stones from under ground to sky, then shift the sight and weave the flow of time. Build the order, Aranthians arise.

  The images that the see-er showed her had portrayed her devastating choice between staying with her love and causing his failure and death or leaving him with a broken heart and the opportunity of success. The first was not an option.

  She told Aridis about returning to the site of the Grove of the Unicorn and wandering over the frozen ground. The fertile and sunny fields, the enchanting plants and creatures, and the buildings she had lived in for most of her life had vanished. There was nothing but the natural, frosted earth and some old ruins of a long-abandoned city she had never known the name of. The powerful spells that had kept the grove in eternal summer as a sanctuary for the unicorns and her fellow Maidens of the Unicorn were no longer intact. There were no unicorns to be seen.

  From there, she had traveled all over the Human Realm in search of them. She saw no trace of the creatures she had bonded with at such a young age, and no one that she spoke to had any news of them. In defeat and desperation, she had summoned a dragon from the platform in Barlington, a port city on the eastern coast, and begged Ashir to bring her to Aridis’s home. The dragon had been excited to meet her, having heard of her involvement in freeing his Elders from the cages of Braya, and he offered to take her wherever her heart desired. It seemed that he had also shared his elation with the other dragons telepathically, as Aridis had been well aware of her impending arrival.

  “Since leaving, I have had no news of Osric either. Tell me, please, how is he doing?” Bridgett’s eyes were filled with a pleading misery, and her Empath gift allowed her to sense that Aridis was experiencing contradictory emotions. He radiated sympathy for her broken heart, but he also felt the need for caution in dragging out her despair. He seemed to be torn between trying to protect her and giving her the knowledge she sought and he felt she deserved. After hearing his response, she was unsure what he had decided.

  “Osric shares the sorrow of your departure, but he continues to lead his order as only he can.” Aridis looked at her with a furrowed brow and steepled his hands beneath his chin. “Bridgett, there is nothing in the words of that prophecy that dictates the necessity for you to leave Stanton. I do not want you to think that I doubt your judgment, but I am still unclear on your reasoning for fleeing so suddenly.”

  “It wasn’t just the words of the prophecy, I assure you, although they were terrifying enough as it was. It was that woman, the things she said to me, the things she showed me. If you had seen what I saw in that water, you would understand. I couldn’t be responsible for sending our entire cause down in flames.” Bridgett’s voice was soft, but her eyes and her tone were fierce.

  “She told you that the prophecy indicated that you must leave in order to save Osric’s life?”

  “Yes, and the images she showed me made it perfectly clear that she was right.”

  Aridis frowned slightly in contemplation, but he did not pursue the questioning further. He merely refilled their mugs of rulha and showed Bridgett where she would be staying while she was with him. She unpacked her few possessions in the back room and sat heavily upon the small bed. Aridis sat beside her quietly, waiting for her to sort out her thoughts and voice the question weighing on her mind.

  “What should I do, Aridis?” Bridgett asked.

  “First, you should rest and regain your strength. There will be no shortage of tolls on your physical and mental stamina in the near future. When you are ready, I will help you ask what it is you should do next.”

  “What do you mean, ‘help me ask?’”

  Aridis merely patted her hair as he stood to leave.

  “When you are ready, dear.” He closed the door gently behind him, and Bridgett was left in the dark with only her thoughts of Osric and the images of the prophecy assaulting her.

  Eventually, Bridgett fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of hungry flames and Osric’s eyes.

  When she awoke that first morning at Lost Lake, Aridis was gone and the small home was silent. Bridgett noticed a steaming bowl of oat mash and a small plate of dried fruit and cheese on the table. Realizing her stomach was growling, and seeing a second set of dishes sitting clean near the sink, she assumed that the breakfast was intended for her. She finished it quickly and walked out into the cool morning air. For the first time, Bridgett took a good look around the area and was stunned at the beauty of the small oasis in the forest.

  The lake itself was not very large. Bridgett probably could have swum to the opposite shore, but the dark blue-green hue of the water spoke of great depth. She suspected that she would be unable to wade out more than a few strides before the water was over her head. The shore of the lake was narrow, leaving just enough room for a dragon to spread her wings fully with comfortable space on either side before the tree line began. The trees stood quietly together, casting cool shade upon the forest floor below. Bridgett took note of the wide variety of plants growing along the ground and up the tree trunks, entwined in the branches of the canopy. She was pleased to note that she would be able to replenish much of her stock for tinctures and remedies that she always kept in her belt pouch. Though she had purchased many of the items that she liked to have on hand in Barlington, she was partial to picking most of the common plants herself.

  As she walked along the subtle path around the lake, she listened to the sounds of the forest. She could distinctly note the calls of dozens of birds, the chittering of tree sprites, and the rustle of small animals rummaging in the undergrowth for a morning meal. For a moment, her heart skipped as she glimpsed what looked like a unicorn through the trees. She sighed as she realized it was a white deer, a species native only to the Elven Realm. She considered calling out to it, hoping perhaps the animals of this enchanting forest may have word of the unicorns, but she refrained from disturbing the creature’s peace. It would be better to find Aridis first. The sun had yet to rise above the tops of the trees when he emerged from the forest just ahead of her.

  “Did you wake rested?” Aridis greeted her with a warm smile. Bridgett thought about telling him of her dreams, but she just smiled and nodded. “And did you enjoy your breakfast?”

  “It was wonderful. Thank you.” A sudden thought caused her to frown. “Aridis, when I left, you were still in Stanton. I never even considered that you might not be here when I arrived.” He nodded as if he had anticipated the unspoken question.

  “I returned shortly before Ashir brought you here. I would be a terrible host if I allowed you to call on an empty house.”

  “So, you left Stanton to meet me here?”

  “Not exactly.” He did not elaborate as they continued walking around the lake. Bridgett struggled with feelings of irritation that Aridis was so vague and gratitude for the warm emotions that she could sense him sending out toward her. She resisted pressing the matter.

  They walked slowly, commenting on the local vegetation and frequently stopping to harvest some of the plants. The sun was directly above them when they completed the circuit and came back to the entrance to Aridis’s house. Bridgett ste
eped a cup of tea and lay down to rest after the long walk. She unintentionally drifted off while the tea was still warm and slept a dreamless, much-needed sleep until the following morning.

  The next few days were much like the first, with long walks, wandering conversations, and essentially no sense of accomplishment. Bridgett began to grow restless. Aridis spoke with her about the forest, the elves, the dragons, and the stars, but he did not mention their conversation of her first night at the lake. He never told her that she should not stray too far into the trees, but she had felt safer in the shelter of the clearing. He did not ask her how long she would be staying, but he rarely gave her a straight answer to her questions.

  Soon, however, she could no longer look out at the dense expanse of forest without feeling an urgent desire to explore. The fifth day after her arrival, Bridgett packed a small bag with some food and water and headed out into the forest. She wandered slowly through the trees, brushing her fingers along leaves she knew well and stopping frequently to inspect the unfamiliar. By gathering various plants and storing them in her pouch, she was reminded of simpler times, and she found that the activity calmed her nerves.

  She walked all morning, taking care not to become disoriented and lose her way back to the lake. When she began to feel hungry, she stopped in a small clearing and sat back against the trunk of a large tree. The space reminded her vaguely of the area where they had first encountered Machai, and she trembled at the memory of his axe against her throat. Yet, she smiled at the stubborn and fiercely loyal friend he had turned out to be to them all.